Richard Bolles, author of the world's most popular career-planning and job-hunting book, "What Color is My Parachute?," believes work should be more than just making a living. It should feed the soul as well. Bolles contends our best chance at happiness and success lies in doing work we feel passionate about.

Career expert Laurence Boldt, author of "Zen and the Art of Making a Living," calls it your life's work, and says you can find your calling by asking yourself these questions:

1. Who am I? What do you care deeply about? Your life's work will support your ideals and anchor them in the everyday world of action.

2. How can I serve others? Your life's work is your way of making the world a better place. It's using your interest and aptitudes to make a meaningful contribution to something you care about.

3. What do I love to do? No matter how noble your ideals and aspirations, you must bring joy and innate talent to your work if you are to be truly successful. Think about what you enjoy doing and what you are naturally good at.

4. What would I be willing to dedicate to enough to persist to excellence? Quality and achievement have their price. What endeavors would you be willing to make sacrifices for and give your all to?

Together, these questions should point you toward a path. Once you've identified some possible occupations, Boldt suggests you run them through the following checklist:

Do I have the skills necessary to work in the field? If not, is the amount of training required to gain the skills acceptable?

Would it give me a work environment I could excel in?

Would it allow for maximum expression of my creativity?

Would it provide me with opportunities for continued growth and development?

Would I actually be serving the people I most want to help?

Would I be working with the kind of people who would stimulate, challenge and support me?

Would I earn an acceptable amount of money?

Are the likely trade-offs and sacrifices I would have to make feasible and acceptable?

Matt, 48, was a partner at a major consulting firm when he asked himself these questions. It turned out his calling was to teach math to underprivileged high school students. However, after running through the checklist he realized it would be too traumatic for his family to immediately adjust to life on a math teacher's salary. So Matt developed a plan: he would continue at the firm for five years, during which time the family would aggressively save and budget for a major reduction in cash flow.Today Matt is teaching at an inner-city school. "I've never felt better," he enthuses. "And my family says I'm a lot more fun to be around."

Finding your life's work is often a process of trial and error.

The late management guru Peter Drucker used to caution those just starting out not to panic: "The probability that the first job or career you choose is right for you is roughly one in a million," he'd say. "If you decide your first choice is the right one, you're either extremely lucky -- or incredibly lazy."

If you're unhappy at work, don't just hang out or jump at the first offer that comes along. Take time to get in touch with who you are and what you really want, formulate career goals based on these insights and then plan and conduct a search that will help you realize these goals and find a truly fulfilling work experience.

Kate Lorenz is the article and advice editor for CareerBuilder.com. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.